baby car seat and carriers

We know that your baby’s car seat is one of the most important purchases you will make, so we’re here to help make sure you get it right first time. With so much choice on offer it can be tough to understand what you really need and what will suit your baby and your family best.

The first thing to get your head around is the law. UK law states that all babies must sit in a rear-facing car seat until they are 15 months old. From that point on, your little one must sit in a forward-facing car seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever comes first. There are two ways of choosing a car seat for your child: The first is based on their height. (This is the newer system and the seats are called i-Size.) The second is based on their weight (categorised simply as 0-3). As of February 2017, all new baby car seat models have ISOFIX as standard. This is a locking system, which ensures your baby’s car seat is securely fastened in. All mothercare child seats comply with EU regulation, which is shown by the Ⓔ symbol on the label.

Phew! Now it’s time to navigate the options. Combination seats will take you from birth to approximately 105cm or 18kg, or 4 years old. This means they are both rear and front-facing and have adjustable recline positions, head and back rests and removable inlays (for added comfort for your newborn baby). Look out for washable covers and guarantees (between two years and a lifetime!) Then there are the baby car seats, which are rear-facing only. These models are lightweight and have a handle, which fits into a pushchair, so you can transport your sleeping baby from car to crib. From there, you’ll transfer to a forward-facing car seat (suitable up to 4 years old) and then a highback booster seat without a harness (suitable from 4-12 years old with side impact-protective covers). Alternatively, you could transfer to a highback booster seat with a harness. This acts like a combination seat, but is forward-facing only, so it’s suitable for children from 15 months to 12 years.

Take your time to think about what will be best for your family’s needs and budget. You can look at our car seat buying guide or pop in to speak to one of our in-store experts that can go through all of this and answer any questions you might have. When you’ve chosen your perfect car seat, we’ll make sure that it is correctly fitted in your car before you drive off, so you can leave with total peace of mind. We also have a wide range of comfortable baby carriers and baby slings for when you’re going out and still want to have your little one close to you.